They Celebrated Her Rescue, No One Noticed I Was Missing novel Chapter 7

Chapter 7

When Evelyn still believed she could earn. her family’s love, the Vances chose Audrey.

Every time.

When Evelyn finally stopped trying, when she shut them out for good, that was when they showed up in tears, begging for another chance.

Ethan had blocked them all.

He would not let them reopen wounds that had barely scabbed over. He intercepted the calls, rejected the

requests, turned away every attempt they made to see her.

He thought he was protecting her.

What he never expected was that the moment she began to rely on him again, she would disappear.

He found her months later in a small apartment overseas, burning with fever, unconscious and alone.

That was the first time in his life he understood what it meant to panic.

He had always been composed. Controlled.

But that day he broke.

He cried so hard he could barely breathe.

The memory pressed down on his chest now, suffocating.

He had told himself he was teaching her independence. That she needed to stop building her entire world.

around him. That she needed to learn how to live for herself.

There were countless ways he could have handled it differently.

Instead, he chose cruelty.

He chose humiliation.

He chose to push her away in the most brutal way possible.

What kind of husband does that?

What kind of man?

His vision blurred.

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This time, no one reached up to wipe his tears away..

Evelyn had already endured more than anyone should.

And he had added to it.

I truly thought I was going to die.

When the storm rolled in over the ocean, I accepted it. I remember thinking that maybe it would finally be

quiet.

When I opened my eyes again, I heard someone say my name.

“Evelyn. Hey. You’re awake. Can you hear me? Are you hurting anywhere?”

The voice was strained. Unsteady.

I turned my head slowly.

Caspian Vance.

My biological brother.

Seven years.

Seven years since I had last seen him.

In my memories, he always stood beside Audrey. He believed her without question. He looked at me like I was the intruder in my own life.

Now he looked exhausted. Older. Guilt had hollowed out his face.

“We’ve been looking for you,” he said. “Mom and Dad never stopped. What happened back then… we were

wrong.”

He took a breath, like it hurt to do so.

“When they threw you into the ocean, we sent search teams immediately. We thought you were gone. After you were rescued, you refused to see us. We didn’t know how to reach you.”

I looked at the ceiling.

“Mr. Vance,” I said evenly, “you’re mistaken. You made it very clear once that you only had one sister. Audrey.”

His expression faltered.

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“I was an idiot,” he said quietly. “I was young. I believed what I wanted to believe. After you left, Mom and Dad

investigated everything. We found out what you went through growing up.”

His jaw tightened.

“We should have protected you. I should have.”

He let out a shaky breath.

“Before you were born, I used to talk to Mom’s stomach every day after school. I promised I’d take care of my little sister. I thought I’d be the best big brother in the world.”

A dry laugh escaped me.

“You were,” I replied. “To Audrey.”

He flinched.

“All she had to do was cry,” I continued. “And I paid the price. You never even asked what really happened. You just chose her.”

Silence swallowed the room.

He covered his face for a moment, struggling to compose himself.

“I can’t undo what I did,” he said. “I won’t pretend I can. If you want to hate me, I deserve it. If you want to scream at me, I’ll stand here and take it.”

He looked up again.

“But please. Come home first.”

I felt something tighten in my chest.

“Mom has brain cancer,” he said. His voice cracked this time. “The doctors say she might not make it two weeks. Her only wish is to see you again.”

The air seemed to thin.

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

Memories I had buried came rushing back whether I wanted them or not.

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